'28 Days Later' give new twist to zombie tale

(This post was actually meant for yesterday, but went unposted due to an oversight on my part. Enjoy.)

Yesterday, I scratched another Saturn Award winner for Best Horror Movie off my list when I rewatched the 2003 winner, “28 Days Later.”

Released on Nov. 1, 2002, this movie was directed by Danny Boyle and starred Cillian Murphy in the lead role of “Jim.” In addition to winning a Saturn Award, it also received an Empire Award for Best British Film and a Narcisse Award for Best International Film.

For those of you who’ve never seen this awesome movie, it presents a new twist on the classic zombie tale. The movie centers on Jim, a bicycle courier who’s knocked out during a traffic accident. He wakes up in a deserted hospital a month later and almost immediately realizes that something’s not right.

Turns out, a blood-borne virus called “Rage” has swept through the population and has resulted in the deaths of millions. The only folks who are left are a few scattered survivors and those infected with the virus. The Infected, as they’re referred to in the movie, have been rendered zombie-like due to uncontrollable rage and they seem bent on nothing more than chasing down the uninfected and killing them.

Those of you who have seen this movie will likely remember the striking footage it included of deserted London streets and landmarks. These portions of the film were remarkably well done and are hard to forget.

There are numerous bits of interesting trivia about this movie. For one, it was funded by the British Film Council, which is funded by the British National Lottery. (Many of you probably noticed the many prominent advertisements for the National Lottery throughout the film.)

The film was shot on a budget of five million pounds, which at today’s exchange rate equals 7.9 million U.S. dollars. That’s chump change when you take into account that the film went on to amass revenues of $82.7 million dollars worldwide.

In the end, I enjoyed rewatching this movie. How many of you have had a chance to watch this classic horror tale? What did you think about it? Did you like it? No? Let us know in the comments section below.